It was probably some thirty years ago now that I was awakened with a word from the Lord that revolutionized my thinking. Betty and I had planned on going to see a movie that a Christian friend had recommended. We hadn't seen any kind of review. All we had to go on was what we were told. On the morning we intended to go, the Lord spoke a word to me and said, "My People are a People of Standard." I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about when once again he repeated to me, "My People are a People of Standard." This time my mind immediately thought, "Maybe he doesn't want me to go to the movie?" So I asked him, "Lord, do you not want me to go?" And this is what he said back to me: "I'm not telling you not to go. My People are a People of Standard!"

     The more I pondered on it, the more I felt in my heart I wasn't to go. So we didn't. About a month later I had lunch with a pastor friend of mine who just happened to go and see this movie. He told me that as the movie began almost every sentence was filled with vulgarity. Within a matter of a few minutes, he told me that he and his wife were so offended that they got up and left the theater.  

     You can almost imagine my thinking. I knew that the Lord had protected me from having to go through this same experience. But here is what I learned that changed my life. Isaiah 59 says, "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59:19). If you read this chapter in its entirety, you will find that the message is predominantly about judgment.

     For many years, when I heard the word "judgment" spoken, my immediate thoughts were geared toward the penalty of having done wrong. My mind quickly thought about a judge passing a sentence on someone who was found guilty. But as I read through this chapter, I found where it described judgment as something dear and precious to God, and I realized that the meaning behind judgment was far more than just the outcome of some wrongdoing. I found that it actually had to do with the onset of our decision making that was based upon a standard or principle of rightness that was able to make a calculated judgment preemptively. In other words, judgment was to be part of the initial course of action we take in determining right from wrong and not just the forthcoming consequences tied to our decisions.

     When God told me "My People are a People of Standard," I knew he wanted me to know that those whom he had separated out for himself were to live by a filtering system built into them by the Spirit of God that would act as a standard in determining the values of truth and righteousness. Paul referred to it as our conscience, something that we must take every precautionary step toward protecting and keeping pure. It is from a pure and clean conscience that we determine beforehand where we draw a line in things we allow, and most importantly, how we are to stay on track in areas where holiness, integrity, purity, wisdom, and sound doctrine are concerned. That is why Paul could make such a bold statement as to say: "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth" (2 Cor. 13:8). He understood how keeping his conscience tender, clean, and pure would never allow him to violate the true nature and standard of uprightness.  

     The convictions that are established within a pure conscience are never to be violated. We must not devalue the standards set by the Holy Spirit just because a wave of some new thought becomes a popular message within the church. Especially, when it lowers our standards and allows for compromise. Listen very carefully, if we allow ourselves to bend the rules, then we open up Pandora's Box to a multiplicity of unbridled issues. You talk about giving place to the devil. This is how the subtleties of the enemy slips right past us until one day we wake up and wonder how we got so far away from the truth!

     I recently read an article by a well-known television minister, and I quote: "Christians must never repent of their sins for any reason. All sins are automatically forgiven. Repentance is an insult to God." Another popular minister stated: "All our sins; past, present, and future are all part of redemption. Therefore, we do not need to confess our sins after we become saved because they are already paid for. All we have to do is acknowledge God's forgiveness and thank him for blotting out our transgressions." If you look carefully at what lies behind these thoughts, you will find that it leaves the impression that sin really doesn't separate us from God. In other words, once we become saved we are accepted in him, there is nothing that we can do to alter our position! As ridiculous as this may sound, you would be amazed at the number of folks who are buying into this kind of thinking!

     If we want to become a "People of Standard" then we need to be very cautious concerning the subtleties of such reckless thinking. We must follow the instructions Paul gave Timothy in holding fast the form of sound words (2 Tim.1:13). Knowing, that the true grace of God teaches us to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world" (Tit. 2:12).